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U.S. Index Funds

Topnotch passive funds for the core of your domestic portfolio.
The advantages are starting to pile up for index funds and exchange-traded funds. First, there’s the cost advantage: Traditional index funds and exchange-traded funds that simply track a market benchmark rather than attempting to beat it tend to be much less expensive than their actively managed counterparts. That translates into a performance advantage, too, as low costs are highly correlated with an investment product being able to beat its peer group. Equity index funds and ETFs tend to be more tax-efficient than active funds, too. But just as there are worthwhile active funds, there are also index funds that aren’t so great. Some ETFs and index funds are saddled with high costs; others have narrow, gimmicky focuses or track overly concentrated indexes. Morningstar’s U.S. Index Funds pick list includes top-rated domestic passive funds from our small-, mid, and large cap categories.
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Name
Ticker
Morningstar Category
Morningstar Rating for Funds
Overall
Total Return
1 Year
Total Return
3 Year
Total Return
5 Year
Schwab Fundamental US Large Company IdxSFLNXLarge Value26.88%9.06%14.41%
Rkymfs Pjcjqqyzxth KW Ngfhn Cljvpxs DlwbTSYKQSmall Blend22.37%3.40%10.48%
Frqylm Czcmwbmlqjcgp NclfWTPFXQForeign Large Blend15.08%4.07%7.90%
Blgcnc Zpktr Vmf KbbglCJTBWFSmall Blend19.97%−0.59%7.93%
Jrsmtk Zkccv Mbzjs Skhkyd QnyzyYLVSJLarge Blend29.19%8.44%14.15%
Cyxlwn ® CP Hfbvf-Sbd Jhqwyx RhdZHHBWSLarge Growth38.99%11.82%18.33%
Yrsyjq ® GB Mbvmp-Dfp Twprp FsqcwRFQXXGLarge Value21.24%5.97%10.09%
Hxgqvr ® ZD Fwj-Xqd ZkdGXXLMid-Cap Blend23.46%4.24%10.67%
Sjsbbr® S&G 479 SwtqwHJVDGLarge Blend29.47%10.08%15.01%
Yvjgyby V&G 957 Xlytj XrrrvthwbvLDKNWLarge Blend28.99%9.70%14.56%
Xdcllxn N&V Frklwr Wcgqn FwpbpdfxdbsSLYPMid-Cap Blend23.97%4.64%11.15%
Ghchnwq L&H Phgbpwbz Ljfym PllvwzdcYDBNKSmall Blend18.46%0.93%8.85%
Jndnsj 244 Dtfjhvn GxrjzpyLWKCCLLarge Blend30.23%
Typgf Tvqbfr Kqq Rby Npt Xl fb-ZM SQKFPQForeign Large Blend14.84%1.69%6.90%
Gcjjz Qvjgmz Vgk Sss Ykz Vw cz-VK Dgx VYRVRGFForeign Large Blend14.87%1.69%6.86%
Ststq Wymwwk Msfsm/Vsr Sqn Bbjhbn NhbdcpkMTLSLMid-Cap Blend27.53%0.99%10.13%
C. Jhjb Vmcgs Pjwxyl Fykkk 1NKQZZLarge Blend29.26%9.91%14.83%
L. Fqsr Lcbgq Zmwhpmpm Wwghdj Grtkkb KbsnFCDDJMid-Cap Blend29.88%0.56%9.38%
C. Mrvp Mgvnj Nqxrmwrbypwsk Nk XkQHJYKGForeign Large Blend14.89%3.88%8.02%
B. Bmft Cnhqz Whm-Vgq GgdtjnbvJCFCMMid-Cap Growth31.25%1.51%11.18%
F. Srkl Pzcrv Vslgw-Khc SkCJDXWJSmall Blend22.29%−0.81%7.33%
R. Fndh Zrhbn Mncpk Zzqsff Zdsngz ZshsyfMCMGTLarge Blend29.41%8.51%13.94%
Tsxvnbln Gjjtr Zqyczxbw FcgnjHXFYGEnergy Limited Partnership26.18%13.88%9.14%
TMFHN Sckkxyx D Cgklsrbkfqfjd Vyj XzcYCQPForeign Large Blend14.40%3.53%7.32%
ZSBGS Jryhxct L Xmd Kbx JhSRZTMid-Cap Blend26.36%4.70%10.89%
BHXTW Rwmltkj W Mndzp CdvNGMQHLarge Blend28.73%9.27%14.64%
XFZJ KNLJ Qwymj Xczknv RJ XhwzxpbfyKNVMLDiversified Emerging Mkts14.53%
JHWW QJHQ Yrytr Ngfykv VT HbxhfwjwwlkBZVWKGSmall Blend19.77%
Ywwqhvgd 715 Nmkbd WhffbdBVQZKLarge Blend29.33%9.96%14.88%
Zjjnqtbl Cwyhnprjp Whkwfxx Zbqvn RzXWWZForeign Large Blend14.55%2.76%7.58%
Xgrlthyf Mjqcrtsh Rwpm Vnztv Xly QkxCBXMDiversified Emerging Mkts15.36%−1.62%5.23%
Wpdrsgds Vyqjftrj Vhcfy LlrlcxTPNYCEurope Stock15.90%4.34%8.54%
Tdrtwblx Dfntzkvg Cjqdhh Njtbc CczbzZVPBSMid-Cap Blend27.33%0.31%9.63%
Kxdwkpwj Snrrpn Lqkyc GpzrxtvkjtkSYMCJLarge Growth36.74%10.49%17.75%
Hnscsfns Mkzps Bsw Rqdqb BqhpjfjhvtmHHPCPLarge Blend29.95%9.37%14.75%
Zvfmmbnj Zyv Xgd Nshvm MwmbxbtyCLPDMid-Cap Blend23.85%4.03%10.32%
Dkymfpml Gpy-Djb Psrzrj Vpqyq HhqckxVCSLTMid-Cap Growth23.77%3.38%10.70%
Rfghpfvz Rvc-Sng Nmbhy Kfrwy LgsssyVDDSCYMid-Cap Value21.27%4.78%9.92%
Bxvknkjl Fffnmpv Ykqdg Jsgpq DtdtzddCMLTHDiversified Pacific/Asia12.52%0.38%6.05%
Qlfrxnwg Fzvp Cxyssy Frpyl PjvvfksqxTDCKLReal Estate9.19%−0.94%2.93%
Cffcxmlh Xzlgj Vjs Vmqvlv Yzsbn VVXGMHMSmall Growth19.37%−1.07%7.77%
Klbhjmtf Gwqgv Mcv Qsrjb LhmzGTNHSmall Blend22.68%2.29%9.53%
Lbxppgwr Gyhhw Xgv Qwynh Qkrhs CqcfvwSYGFKSmall Value25.22%4.66%10.22%
Xnlmlgsz Xllgs Lctp Gkggy Dvdwg QnfDSMLForeign Large Blend14.69%1.57%6.83%
Xzdkccrp Bphnl Xdlqj Phj Vlg XMZZXVLarge Blend29.00%8.34%14.07%
Hhrcssph Hhhvk Zgbfy PxlLJTNLarge Value22.25%7.83%11.36%
Zczvyrr 387 Bbgyb LfkhGCTCSLarge Blend29.83%9.75%15.05%
Xgkbtbp Zhklmytf Jsrztx BmywrCVMZTMid-Cap Blend25.92%1.59%10.68%
Bnyp Xpdpxpfxsxvzv Mpjjp Rpzk XZSLLGKForeign Large Blend14.31%3.20%7.02%
Lwkf Ylfsdgm Yxkkg Fmy Hypynr Sxr Gydk PJFTCJLarge Growth38.39%12.93%19.36%
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List Criteria

Index Funds

Index funds track a particular index, like the S&P 500, and attempt to match its returns by holding the same stocks that are in the index in the same proportion. Index funds are considered “passive” because they only hold what is in the index (or a representative sampling), and only change their portfolios when the index changes. Most indexes reflect or represent an entire market, region, sector, or style, and hence most index funds are intended to offer investors identical exposure to those markets. An index fund’s performance should match the performance of the index minus the expenses associated with running the fund, which are typically low.

Diversified U.S. Stock Funds

These U.S.-stock funds come from the nine categories associated with the Morningstar Style Box: large growth, large blend, large value, mid-cap growth, mid-cap blend, mid-cap value, small growth, small blend, and small value. Funds in these categories cover most of the U.S. stock market, from small companies to large, growth companies to value stocks.

Medalist Funds (Gold, Silver, or Bronze)

The Medalist Rating for funds reflects our forward-looking assessment of a fund’s ability to outperform its peer group (funds in the same category) and benchmark on a risk-adjusted basis over the long term. We assign the ratings on a five-tier scale with three positive (Medalist) ratings of Gold, Silver, and Bronze; a Neutral rating; and a Negative rating. If a fund receives a Gold, Silver, or Bronze rating, it means that Morningstar analysts expect it to outperform over a full market cycle of at least five years.

Share Class Exclusions Applied

Many fund families offer multiple versions of the same fund but with variations on the sales fees that are charged and/or investor qualifications. In some cases, certain share classes may be for institutions (such as company retirement funds) or otherwise have a high investment minimum. We've limited our list to funds that are primarily used by and available to individual, or retail, investors.

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